Fraternity house doors close for Chi Phi
Megan Zaroda
Issue date: 3/11/05 Section: News
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Because of the incident, the fraternity had a hearing scheduled for Monday at 4:15 p.m. in the Kirby Hall of Civil Rights. However, "the alumni body chose to close the fraternity before going to the Conduct Committee," said Dean of Students Jim Krivoski. "The chapter has been closed; the charter is in the hands of the alumni."
Terry Weber, advisor of fraternities and sororities, said the members were placed on "undergraduate alumni" status.
Since the Chi Phi house is no longer in possession of their charter, the undergraduate alumni are currently required to move out of the house by March 27. Krivoski said that this date was set with the students' schedules in mind, taking into account their schoolwork and spring break. However, Krivoski is looking into allowing the men to remain until the end of the semester. "The plan is to let the Chi Phi house open and let the guys who want to stay there, stay there," said Krivoski.
According to O'Brien, the alcohol-free fraternity was involved in an initiation ritual on bid day in early February when a trouble alarm in the house was signaled. The alarm was the result of a malfunction in the fire system, and since public safety could not reach O'Brien, per their policy, they were allowed to enter the house.
"Rituals have nothing to do with alcohol," said O'Brien. "The alcohol was there for something non-related to the ritual."
After officers found the alcohol, O'Brien said that there was a state of disarray and that the brothers disbanded. "It was very confusing," he said. "I talked to the director of public safety that night several times to try to coordinate what happened."
Chi Phi had already been on probation because of an incident that occurred during Senior Week in spring 2003. The fraternity attended a Student Conduct Committee meeting in October 2003 and was permitted to remain on campus and retain its charter.
"When we got through the last conduct committee, we were on a very short leash," said O'Brien, "'the shortest of short' I think is what the school said. We were as close as we could be."
The charter is now in alumni receivership, according to O'Brien. "Knowing the previous conduct committee hearing, this is in the best interest of Chi Phi," he said. "If we had lost the conduct committee, we wouldn't be able to recolonize."
Krivoski explained that after a period of five years, the fraternity is permitted to request to return to campus. Their request is then forwarded to the board of trustees who make the ultimate decision.
He said that their return is contingent upon the Greek culture on campus at the time, the rush numbers, the number of fraternities already on campus, the need for another fraternity, and the status of the potentially-returning alumni organization.
Krivoski also said that the alumni base needs to be "financially healthy" and needs to have alumni in the immediate area to deal with fraternity issues. "The Chi Phi organization has been strong in the past," said Krivoski.
Weber explained that a chapter can be closed for a number of reasons, and he tries to encourage fraternities to realize they report to three bodies - the college, their alumni, and their national chapter. "We work together to make sure chapters are succeeding," said Weber. "If they aren't, we work together to help the chapters out."
Though O'Brien respects the decision that was made, he admitted that the process was both frustrating and depressing. O'Brien had only been president for three to four weeks before the February incident.
In general, "for the violation of an alcohol policy, I may not agree with what happened," he said. However, he acknowledged that being a part of the fraternity system makes a difference. "You have to take responsibility for things in the past, and we were aware of the situation in the past."
"The chapter made some mistakes, and they were held accountable accordingly," said Weber.
O'Brien said that the undergraduate alumni have become stronger, and that they will always have eternal bonds regardless of whether or not they have a house.
"In situations like this, you kind of show your true colors," he said. "Just by moving out, we're sacrificing a lot for the fraternity. We're giving up a house that we love halfway through the semester, just for the hope that in the future we can come back."
Krivoski said that he has spoken individually with three or four undergraduate alumni about the issue. He said that they are disappointed about the status of the chapter, but they are more immediately concerned about the issue of housing.
After the completion of this semester, the former Chi Phi house will be used as a student residence hall, according to Krivoski. He said that the College will install sprinklers and evaluate the furniture to see if it is suitable for other students. The house's basement and kitchen will be closed, and the College will store any possessions that the alumni do not claim or remove.
Weber stated that positions on the InterFraternity Council (IFC) will also have to be re-arranged. Alex Kharaz '06, the now former president of IFC, can no longer serve on the board. Michael LeFante '06, the former vice president has stepped up to the role of president. Weber said that elections will be held after spring break for the other vacant positions. "As there is no Chi Phi, [Kharaz] and the other members can no longer serve on IFC," said Weber.
"We handled the strictness very well," said O'Brien, "but for some reason, nobody thought we would get caught this time."